Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller Book

I enjoyed reading about what a skilled journalist , historian, and writer Ida Tarbell was, as well as learning about all the methods she used in her greatest work, her expose of John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil.

The book follows both Tarbell and Rockefeller throughout their lives and the era they lived in; one of growing corporate monopolies (known as "trusts") but also a time of increasing muckraking by journalists.

While I knew a bit about Rockefeller's background and Cleveland connections, I didn't realize that Tarbell had grown up in the oil producing region of Western Pennsylvania, and her father and brother were independent oilmen who tried to overcome the power of the trusts.

Ironically, Tarbell's book, which helped lead to the court-ordered breakup of Standard Oil into smaller companies actually increased Rockefeller's already vast wealth, since he was the principle stockholder, his holding multiplied to make him the world's first billionaire. But because of Tarbell's work, Rockefeller's reputation never recovered from the picture she painted, a man "who violated the public trust to reach the pinnacle of power." The author suggests that while Rockefeller gave away huge amounts of money, at least as much as did his fellow industrial titan, Andrew Carnegie, Rockefeller isn't really remembered as a philanthropist the same way Carnegie is- largely because of Tarbell's book.

I would have liked to read a bit more of Tarbell's original words- the author quotes from her book very sparingly, but overall I liked this book.

The biggest downside to the book is that if you know anything about the state of investigative journalism today, reading this is bound to depress you.